Heart Songs is more than a collection of music. It is a book compiled directly by twenty thousand people, who not only sent in their favorite songs, but in accompanying letters told how these songs had been interwoven with the story of their own lives. - p. iii.

(Meredith Music Resource). This comprehensive collection of folk songs used in band masterworks is a wonderful source for determining interpretation and style, and will open the door to creative teaching. Folk song overviews include notated tunes, lyrics and brief historical annotations. A must-have for the imaginative teacher/conductor! "This volume should be on the shelf of every wind conductor's library." Allan McMurray, Director of Bands, University of Colorado

In 1844, Mrs. Frederick Widder held a soirée musicale in her lavish Toronto home. Both the music and program were standard fare for the time but, for the author, it has implications beyond a single drawing-room extravaganza. Through the study of this elaborate domestic concert, the author reveals the way musical life affected and reflected contemporary values, thoughts and beliefs of the distinct categories of class and gender in pre-Confederation Canadian society.